Glad you like. There'll probably be more in the future, but I suppose I ought to do some real work for a bit. (There are benefits to being self-employed, but the drawback is that if you goof off instead of working, you don't actually get paid!)
I'm definately looking forward to seeing more of your wallpapers. There is not enough Lij in this world.
hehehe. I know how that is, I tried to take an independant study course in high school and I couldn't focus, so I wasted $400 of my parents money. Go do your work!!!!! :-)
So I tried my hand at making an icon. Since I love all the icons you make, I would love your critique of image choice, font style and color ... that sort of thing.
I love the image choice. I mean, you've got to know that pic to get the full impact, but I love icons that have just bits of an image that's potentially recognizable to other fans. (And it's Elijah, so I'm obviously gonna love it. *g*)
I really like how you didn't line "Librarian" up with the left edge. Your composition is very nice.
As far as font style...it's not to my taste, but it's not bad or anything. I have a tendency to use one of two pixel fonts for small stuff, and then something kind of flashy for the bigger, but I think that's a matter of taste. Your lettering is big enough that you can get away with using lower-case--which I tend to avoid at the smaller font sizes--and it's also obviously not just a random choice of font but something that you thought about.
You've a) got the text on a good contrasting color so it's readable, and b) used a text color that's either taken directly from a part of the pic (in the shirt) or looks damn close, which are both good things to do to enhance the overall sense that an icon is a single cohesive image rather than a picture with text slapped on.
I think it's a great icon, especially if it's your first. You've obviously got an eye for it. (And mmmmm, Elijah's crotch. *g*) Let me know if you'd like any specific tips on how to achieve certain effects; it took me forever to figure out how to put borders around text, for example, and I'm happy to pass that knowledge on. (I work in Photoshop 7 and ImageReady.)
Wow! Thanks for the detailed analysis. As far as font... there are so many in Photoshop that I didn't comb through them all. This was about the 20th. I wanted something Serious and Professional, but sans serif. (BTW -- I love the typewriter effect you have in that icon there and others)
Yeah, I love the eyedropper.
I wanted to put a dark maroon outline on the letters, but I don't know how. About two months ago someone gave detailed directions on lj, but I don't remember who.
As far as the outlining letters, here's how I do it (Photoshop 7 running under Windows):
1. Type in your text and get it about where you want it, in the color you want it in. (Text should be your final step, after you've got the picture cropped the way you want want and have the whole thing reduced to 100x100 pixels.)
2. Make sure the background color on your foreground/background palette is the color you want the outline in.
3. Create a new layer. (Click on the arrow in a circle on the layers tab of the layers/channels/paths palette and choose New Layer and just accept the default.)
4. Drag the new layer directly below your text layer on the layers view.
5. With the new layer selected, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on the text layer in the layers view. This will select the text from the text layer, but put the "selected" outline (to be filled) on the new, empty layer. If that makes sense. *g*
6. From the "Select" menu on the menu bar at the top, pick "Modify" and then "Expand." I usually start with one pixel for a 100x100 pixel icon, but you may want more (2 or even 3 pixels) if you're using big text or want a thick line.
7. Hold down Ctrl and press Backspace (<-) and you'll get an outline in the background color. (If you hold down Alt and press Backspace, you'll get your outline in the foreground color.)
8. Ctrl-D turns off the selection so you can see if it looks like you're expecting. Be sure to flatten those two layers together if you intend to move the text at all, because otherwise you're never going to get them lined up again!
Also, if in step 6 you select "Border" instead of "Expand," and choose a larger number of pixels (say 4), you'll get a soft, glowing kind of effect. This is particularly good if you're using an outline color that's just a couple of shades lighter or darker than your main text color.
And after doing this in Photoshop (to make sure my directions were accurate, since ImageReady has a couple of differences in the menus), I remembered why I've been using ImageReady exclusively. *g* It's so much easier. (Plus, it lets you easily create animated gifs, which I have yet to figure out how to do in Photoshop--though they claim you can.)
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-17 09:57 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-18 05:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-18 07:54 pm (UTC)hehehe. I know how that is, I tried to take an independant study course in high school and I couldn't focus, so I wasted $400 of my parents money. Go do your work!!!!! :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 02:12 am (UTC)Guess what's on my desktop right now.
Thanks for friending me back so promptly, these are fab!!!
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 08:43 pm (UTC)Thank you. I really enjoy playing with graphics. It gives me an excuse to stare at pretty boyz, for one thing. *g*
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 01:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 08:15 pm (UTC)I really like how you didn't line "Librarian" up with the left edge. Your composition is very nice.
As far as font style...it's not to my taste, but it's not bad or anything. I have a tendency to use one of two pixel fonts for small stuff, and then something kind of flashy for the bigger, but I think that's a matter of taste. Your lettering is big enough that you can get away with using lower-case--which I tend to avoid at the smaller font sizes--and it's also obviously not just a random choice of font but something that you thought about.
You've a) got the text on a good contrasting color so it's readable, and b) used a text color that's either taken directly from a part of the pic (in the shirt) or looks damn close, which are both good things to do to enhance the overall sense that an icon is a single cohesive image rather than a picture with text slapped on.
I think it's a great icon, especially if it's your first. You've obviously got an eye for it. (And mmmmm, Elijah's crotch. *g*) Let me know if you'd like any specific tips on how to achieve certain effects; it took me forever to figure out how to put borders around text, for example, and I'm happy to pass that knowledge on. (I work in Photoshop 7 and ImageReady.)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 09:39 pm (UTC)Yeah, I love the eyedropper.
I wanted to put a dark maroon outline on the letters, but I don't know how. About two months ago someone gave detailed directions on lj, but I don't remember who.
I have Photoshop 7, but not ImageReady
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 10:52 pm (UTC)No problem. I'm flattered that you wanted my opinion in the first place.
As far as font... there are so many in Photoshop that I didn't comb through them all.
I've emailed you a font viewing tool that's small and very useful, IMO.
(BTW -- I love the typewriter effect you have in that icon there and others)
That's one of my newest fonts, and I really love it. BTW, you can find tons of free fonts online at places like:
Abstract Fonts, 1001 Free Fonts, Acid Fonts, FontFreak, xyzfonts
(I have kind of a font fetish. *g*)
As far as the outlining letters, here's how I do it (Photoshop 7 running under Windows):
1. Type in your text and get it about where you want it, in the color you want it in. (Text should be your final step, after you've got the picture cropped the way you want want and have the whole thing reduced to 100x100 pixels.)
2. Make sure the background color on your foreground/background palette is the color you want the outline in.
3. Create a new layer. (Click on the arrow in a circle on the layers tab of the layers/channels/paths palette and choose New Layer and just accept the default.)
4. Drag the new layer directly below your text layer on the layers view.
5. With the new layer selected, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on the text layer in the layers view. This will select the text from the text layer, but put the "selected" outline (to be filled) on the new, empty layer. If that makes sense. *g*
6. From the "Select" menu on the menu bar at the top, pick "Modify" and then "Expand." I usually start with one pixel for a 100x100 pixel icon, but you may want more (2 or even 3 pixels) if you're using big text or want a thick line.
7. Hold down Ctrl and press Backspace (<-) and you'll get an outline in the background color. (If you hold down Alt and press Backspace, you'll get your outline in the foreground color.)
8. Ctrl-D turns off the selection so you can see if it looks like you're expecting. Be sure to flatten those two layers together if you intend to move the text at all, because otherwise you're never going to get them lined up again!
Also, if in step 6 you select "Border" instead of "Expand," and choose a larger number of pixels (say 4), you'll get a soft, glowing kind of effect. This is particularly good if you're using an outline color that's just a couple of shades lighter or darker than your main text color.
And after doing this in Photoshop (to make sure my directions were accurate, since ImageReady has a couple of differences in the menus), I remembered why I've been using ImageReady exclusively. *g* It's so much easier. (Plus, it lets you easily create animated gifs, which I have yet to figure out how to do in Photoshop--though they claim you can.)
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 03:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 08:44 pm (UTC)P.S. Since I've got All I Want, I'm thinking of doing some screen caps and making a wallpaper for it. *eg*
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 09:03 pm (UTC)"CHARGE THE PADDLES TO 300!"
"CLEAR!"
"I'm sorry, I don't think she's coming back."
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-19 10:54 pm (UTC)Just think: if you're dead, you can't see the wallpaper when it's done. *eg*
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-24 11:42 pm (UTC)